Housing News

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (the Bank) has announced it has $18.2 million available for the 2013 round of their Affordable Housing Program (AHP). The AHP encourages local planning of affordable rental and homeownership initiatives and allows the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston to address, in partnership with their member institutions, affordable-housing needs in communities across New England. A portion of the Bank's net earnings funds the program, which awards grants and low-interest advances or loans, through member institutions.

State Updates Massachusetts House Debates FY’14 Budget: Housing Programs Hold Steady

Summer Internship Description – Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association, Summer 2013 Internship Duration: May 2013 – August 2013 Work load: 20 hours per week for 10 weeks Description:

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IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED Call Your State Representative Today and Ask Them to Support Housing Budget Amendments Find the contact information for your Representative at www.malegislature.gov or by calling (617) 722-2000.

Washington, DC – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to extend the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) by two years to December 31, 2015. The program was set to expire December 31, 2013. Please click here to read the full press release from FHFA.

To view more details of HUD's proposed budget, visit HUD's web page on the FY2014 Budget. The National Low Income Housing Coalition has also published an analysis of housing programs' funding in the FY2014 proposed budget. NLIHC provides some highlights of the HUD budget as it pertains to supporting low-income households:

The MacArthur Foundation today released the results of their national How Housing Matters Survey conducted by Hart Research Associates. 1,433 adults were surveyed via telephone and asked about their perceptions regarding the current housing market and attitudes about renting vs. homeownership.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) today launched a national media campaign to educate the public and housing providers about their rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act. The campaign, titled “Fair Housing Is Your Right. Use It,” includes English, Spanish, and Chinese radio and print public service advertisements (PSAs) that feature examples of actions which violate the Fair Housing Act and let the public know what to do if they experience housing discrimination.

According to CBPP: The budget cuts known as "sequestration,” initiated on March 1, will likely force state and local housing agencies to cut the number of low-income families using Housing Choice Vouchers to afford housing by roughly 140,000 by early 2014. This represents a sharp break from Congress’ bipartisan commitment which it has met for most of the voucher program’s nearly 40-year history to renew assistance for at least the same number of families from year to year.